W. LACROSSE | Seawolves too skilled for the Bulldogs

With only 13 seconds remaining on the game clock of the first half, attacker Jen DeVito ’14 pulled Yale within a goal of Stony Brook with a strong shot past the Seawolves’ goaltender. The tally made the score 5–4 at the half, but despite four goals from DeVito and a fierce team effort, the Elis fell 12–8 to an experienced Stony Brook team in New York on Wednesday.

“I am really proud of how the team played as a unit from offense to defense,” midfielder Cathryn Avallone ’15 said.

Four minutes after the Bulldogs lost the opening faceoff, the Seawolves scored the game’s first goal. Only 40 seconds later, attacker Devon Rhodes ’13 rallied the Yale side when she placed the Bulldogs on the scoreboard after an assist by fellow attacker DeVito. Followed by Rhodes’s goal, midfielder Kerri Fleishhacker ’14 and DeVito recorded one and two goals respectively. Still, the Seawolves matched Yale goal for goal to maintain a lead throughout.

Defender Kallie Parchman ’14 said Stony Brook was a fast and strong team.

“We played to our potential in both halves, which is something we had been struggling with,” she said.

Although the Bulldogs (3–8, 0–4 Ivy) were all set to reverse the situation, the match did not go as they hoped. The team started the second half off strong with midfielder Christina Doherty ’15 winning the face-off in the second period. But the Seawolves (11–3, 3–0 America East) did not relent on their barrage of goals and added two more to bring the score to 7–4 Stony Brook. Rhodes added her second goal to narrow the game to 7–5 and kept the Bulldogs’ hope of adding their season’s second away win alive. Although DeVito scored two more goals and recorded her season’s second hat trick, along with Fleishhacker’s second goal two minutes before the whistle, it was too late to bounce back.

“It was the best played 60-minute game as a team this year,” head coach Anne Phillips said.

Although the Elis fought back fiercely until the whistle blew, they failed to turn the match around, as the Seawolves scored seven goals in the second half.

Phillips said Stony Brook stalled, holding the ball to run the clock.

The defense did not show many blind spots except in turnovers (19–12) and demonstrated strong transitions, but the hosts responded with a fierce offense, which hindered the Elis from rallying and dominating the game.

“The defense was awesome,” Phillips said, adding that team had matchup on top players and kept them from scoring as frequently.

As usual, the Bulldogs showed strength in draw controls (14–8), which provided them with more goal possessions and attacking opportunities.

Phillips said Stony Brook played high-pressure defense, but Yale successfully executed its game plan.

Goalkeeper Erin McMullan ‘15 recorded nine saves, although she allowed just as many goals.

“Stony Brook played a backer defense, but our offense adjusted well and picked it apart with passing,” Parchman said.

But the Seawolves had better control in offense, recording nine more shots and collecting 11 more ground balls.

Fouls were another weak point for the Elis, who committed 12 more than their opponents. Yale has scored 101 goals so far this season and has now only four matches remaining, three of them against Ivy teams.

“Today’s match makes the end of the season look bright for us,” Avallone said.

After two consecutive road trips, both losses, the Elis will remain at home to take on Columbia on Saturday at 1 p.m.